mom2kando Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 (edited) oh boy, not sure exactly what my issue is, but hoping I can explain myself well enough to get a little help. It's our 2nd hear homeschooling. DD completed public school through 2nd grade and DS through Kindy They both used Everyday Math in PS and math comes pretty easy to both (although they are still working on fact recall) DS used Singapore last year (1st a and b) and finished early so for the end of the year he used the MM 1st grade review DD used TT 4 last year and finished early so also used the MM 3 review I bought them MM for this year. It's going okay although it is a LOT of review which I think is frustrating for them. The problem??? I get myself worked up every day during math...feeling panicky and frustrated (and angry). It's a big issue (and one that would require another post) and one that is warranting a change either in program or attitude. I am wondering if "I" need them in another program with more explicit lessons? I've looked at CLE and like it, but I worry about them gaining the number sense/conceptual understanding they have thrived with in the past...using pictures and bar models for example. Our schedule is super tight (and again, my emotional state is fragile right now) so there are days when I'm just like "Just go do your math...figure it out!" I need to streamline, I feel like I am just spinning plates right now (for our entire homeschool) Maybe CLE with Zuccaro problem solving or challenge math? I do love sitting with them with MM puzzle corner. Or Singapore??? ($) or math u see or something else? My ultimate goal for them is going into AOPS or maybe Jacobs if that helps with suggestions? Help :confused: Edited November 5, 2016 by mom2kando Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 What exactly is upsetting you during math? If we knew that we could probably give better suggestions. If there is too much review, either speed through it or don't do it. If you're just doing it because it's there, that is not reason enough to do it. When my son was doing Singapore, if he already knew something (and it is very common for math resources to begin a lesson or unit with a review--it's called "activating prior knowledge" in the ed world) I would tell him that if he could do the hardest problem on the page with no help from me then we could move on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2kando Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 I think what is upsetting me is lack of organization (like having a lesson for each day with a "goal"? I'm not really sure. Perhaps I'm putting too much pressure on myself for "output"? I do have a strong homeschooling support system, but in everyday life I am in a world surrounded by public schoolers. I take a few kids to school in the mornings and have the chance to glance at what they are doing in school and it sets me into a panic. I see a lot of their math...sigh. It's definitely an emotional response. My kids are happy and so sweet and do the math easily and without complaint. Maybe I just need a :chillpill: ? lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2kando Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Maybe just reassurance that Math Mammoth is a good program and we could always just buy the next level if they finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Math Mammoth is a good curriculum, even if it doesn't have clearly marked days. However, YOU need to run the curriculum instead of letting the curriculum run you. It sounds like you're stuck in the latter. You are the boss and get to make all the decisions, and no curriculum gods will come smashing down on you. Honest! :D If there's too much review and your DC have a good grasp of the concept, scratch out some of the review. If they can practically do it blindfolded with one arm tied behind their back they're ready to move on. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Maybe just reassurance that Math Mammoth is a good program and we could always just buy the next level if they finish? Math Mammoth is a good program, and you can always just buy the next level if they finish. :) So you have a 2nd and 4th grader now? Does MM seem to be working for them? I'm not sure what's stressing you out about it. If you're wanting them to work independently but they're not able to, that would be totally normal for their ages. Even students using "self-teaching" programs like MM, CLE, etc. can benefit from some direct instruction, even if it's just reading aloud the instructions and doing a few examples. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 I think what is upsetting me is lack of organization (like having a lesson for each day with a "goal"? I'm not really sure. Perhaps I'm putting too much pressure on myself for "output"? I do have a strong homeschooling support system, but in everyday life I am in a world surrounded by public schoolers. I take a few kids to school in the mornings and have the chance to glance at what they are doing in school and it sets me into a panic. I see a lot of their math...sigh. It's definitely an emotional response. My kids are happy and so sweet and do the math easily and without complaint. Maybe I just need a :chillpill: ? lol! Maybe just reassurance that Math Mammoth is a good program and we could always just buy the next level if they finish? Math Mammoth is an awesome program. It is serving my family very well educationally and it is extremely budget-friendly (I bought all the grades in PDF format from Homeschool Buyers Co-op when it was on sale). I give absolutely no thought to arbitrary pacing to ensure the kids finish one, and only one, level in a year; we simply proceed through the material as the kids show mastery and start the next level (often skipping the first chapter of review) when the previous level is completed. As I print out and bind the Math Mammoth worktexts for the kids, I add concrete, daily assignments. First I use an orange marker to put a box around the concept explanations, sample problems and instructions that the child needs to pay extra attention to. Next I use a green marker to make big boxes around the sections of the page that I want the child to complete - we do about 50% of straight arithmetic sections (leaving the others to use as review if the child doesn't quite grasp the concept), about 75% of the time/money/geometry sections and all of the word problems and puzzle boxes. Lastly, I use a red market to draw a line and write "STOP" at the end of each day's work. I don't agonize over this; I take into consideration the MM pacing suggestions, the types of problems on the pages and how best to break a topic or subsection into equal chunks, but I move quickly and just make my best guess as to how much the child will be able to cover during math time. I know that if I guess wrong and assign too much on a given day, then I can always reduce how many problems they do, scribe for them or have them do the work orally to speed things up or have them do a second short math session in the evening to finish up the longer assignment. Since we use the PDF, I also print out various extra math and logic puzzles and I bind those right into the worktext. So, my 2nd grader might flip his math open to find two pages of MM (with only some of the problems marked) and then a Roman Numeral dot to dot and then a Mind Bender logic puzzle. My goal is for math to take 20-30 minutes for my 2nd grader and 15-20 minutes for my K'er. Moving at this pace tends to mean they cover more than one level each year (we do math about 300 days a year), but if they were struggling with a concept, I would have no problem slowing way down even if that meant not "keeping up". Wendy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2kando Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Wendy, thank you so much for sharing how you present/plan your lessons. Very Helpful! I'm not sure what stresses me out either. The kids are happy and I love going over new concepts with them. Planning ahead with the colored boxes I think may help😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth 2 Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Wendy, what books are you pulling the extra worksheets from? I would love to change it up a bit as well, and your suggestions seem to be ringing the internal winner bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Wendy, what books are you pulling the extra worksheets from? I would love to change it up a bit as well, and your suggestions seem to be ringing the internal winner bell. Logic Safari, Balance Benders, Tin Man Press Enrichment activities, lots of cheap Scholastic ebooks like Menu Math and Riddle Math Practice and lots of free, printable online stuff like sudoku puzzles and puzzles from the MEP curriculum. Wendy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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